Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-10-26
Open war DECLARED.
The Knights Of Labor Antis Stop Over In
CHICAGO and Formulate Charges
Against the Beard.
Roughs Take Possession Of Westmin.
ster Abbey-Violence Of Police
At Prescribed Homo
Rule xeeting.

CHICAGO, October 23.-The dissenters
from the action taken at the Minneapolis
convention have declared open war with
the Executive Board Of the Knights ol
Labor, and have issued their Declaration
OF Independence. On their return from
tte convention about thirty-five delegates
repfesenti1g ttirtsen States stopped in
Chicago and determined to bring about
reorganization OF the order. They
elected q Provisional Committee OF five
members. of which Chas. II. Sieb was
made Secretary. A long commune
cation was drafted at Secretary Sieb's Office
to-day and will be forwarded tomorrow
in circular form to the Knights OF Labor
all over the country. The circular starts
out as follows:
THE DlssENTERs' CIRCULAR.
ITO the Rank and File oil the Order Of
Knights of Labor-Indignant at the usur-
patton of power, and gross violation OF
the laws of the order by those high in au-
thority, disgusted with those whose 10y
atty to the present ring has been gained by
the pickings they received as 8 reward for
their services, incensed at the fawning
sycophants who crawl on their knees in
slavish submission to the most corrupt.
most bypocritical. most autocratic and
tyrannical clique that has ever controlled
any labor organization, We therefore al
firm the motto of our order, that when
bad men combine the good must associate:
else they will fall one by one. an unpitied
class in contemplate struggle We as
sert that
THE HOUR HAS COME,
when as honest men and women, We declare
ourselves independent of those who have
abused the confidence reposed in them by
our order. Our duty to workingmen and
women demands that we at once reorgan-
ize the order OF Knights OF Labor on g.
basis which will secure the autonomy of
trades and the sovereignty of districts in
all pertaining to their trade and local af-
fairs and to prevent it from being used in
future as a machine to fill the Golfers OF de-
signing and INSCRIPTIONS men as it is now
by those in power" The circular then goes
on at great length to give the reasons which
have ''compelled this serious act on our
part" They charge that the general off,
ees have
BECOME LUXURIOUS HAUNTS
for men whose chief aim is to benefit self
pecuniarily and otherwise; that there has
been far more than mere conspiracy for
purpose of holding salaried positions in
and under the General Assembly. That
this conspiracy had used the secret chan
nels and funds of the order to manufacture
sentiment from certain members and
against others, and that organizers COM
missions have been refused to members
known to disagree with the I ethods OF the
ring. That district aid local assemblies
have been suspended or expelled for oppos.
ing the policy OF the conspirators; that
the records ot the general Office have been
fixed so as to rule out or admit, as the
case might be- General Assembly repre-
sentatjves. That many thousands OF dol
lars of the orders funds have been ille-
gally expended, frequently against the
earnest protest of honest and law-abiding
members; that honest men devoted to the
cause of labor have been made the scape.
goats of blundering high officials, and
driven in disgrace from the movement.
The efforts made by assemblies to better
their condition have
BEEN srRANGLED BY THE RING.
The boycott has been used to injure labor
oppress union establishments and the
products OF knights of Labor and union
labor for the sole purpose Of downing
the workingman and woman, who could
not be used by the conspirators. The
constitution has been altered in an illegal
manner. The membership of the order hat
decreased 218.O00 members in
one year. In spite Of this decrease
they have increased the annua
expenditures of the general officers
to five hundred thousand dollars. In the
General Assembly arguments we're met by
buncombe, the gag law was reduced to q
system and outrageous decisions rendered
appeals and protests were ienored-all TO-
the purpose of covering up the rascality o
| those in power. The circular requests al
local and district assemblies in accord
with the declaration, or desiring informa
ton to address Secretary Sieb.